Windows 10: On lock screen, Narrator and Magnifier auto-start, switched off

Hi guys,

My magnifier and narrator auto-start on the lock screen despite them both being switched off in the Ease of Use panel. The narrator turns off when the desktop loads and the magnifier stays on in the shape of the magnifying glass in the upper left area of the screen. It's not debilitating just annoying. Anyone know how to fix it or maybe a regedit that can get rid of them completely?

:)

 

Windows 10 Magnifier - settings / options missing

I did not realize that was part of the problem scenario. In that case, although I still think that Win-Tab should have shown you the Magnifier window's thumbnail (if it was running) or as in my case notice that the Magnifier Options window would be covering
it. I also could have suggested using Task Manager to find it listed in its list of running applications (the Fewer details list) and then use right-click
Switch to on that.

So were you implying that you saw a Magnifier lens and therefore knew that its window and its options should be somewhere?

Ah. Yes. Now I see a problem. If Magnifier Options is present but somehow lost and you can't notice the Magnifier icon the Magnifier window does get obscured! E.g. when picking it from Task View I see it flash on and off as focus is switched back to
the Magnifier Options window. Using Task Manager's Switch to there is no sign of the Magnifier window at all!

I have simulated your symptom by moving the Magnifier Options window to a different screen. But then in fact, by switching to the Magnifier using either of the above methods keyboard focus is given to the Magnifier Options window. So Alt-Space M CursorLeft
does work to engage the mouse pointer in a window move operation, so that when you move your mouse the window will appear. Alternatively, provided you have guessed that Left is the right direction you can keep
pressing the arrow key and it may eventually appear where you are looking. This same procedure would be available to you in the case where the window was not on another monitor but off-screen and still associated with the one you were viewing. In my case,
with it on another monitor and keyboard focus on it I can alternatively press Win-Shift-CursorLeft to bring it back more efficiently.

I see that too. Disappointing. I even went to the trouble of turning on all Narrator options and enabling the Mouse Pointer option Snap to. No really clear indication from Narrator of what was happening. You have to do a lot of guessing and inferring.
The only really useful clue Narrator gives occurs when I switch to the Magnifier it announces "Magnifier Options dialog". So, first you need to be aware of what that implies and then if Narrator's Lock Narrator key is enabled you need to press X. Then I
can press Win-Shift-CursorRight. Or, in the case of the dialog only being off-screen, Alt-Space, then Narrator helpfully announces "Move...menu key M", so another X and the M (or Enter), then Narrator is less helpful (irrelevant for our context of trying
to get a Move working) but press on regardless with another X and the necessary(!) CursorRight. Then you are able to drag the window into view.

I only hear "tooltip" when I am in the Magnifier window. Am I still missing something? Otherwise, this off-screen stuff is a standard Windows quirk that has been around for years. Working as designed. You get used to it.



FYI

Robert

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Windows phone 8.1 preview

I had this similar narrator problem on my Lumia 521. Holding volume up AND pressing the start button activates narrator mode, if setting for this is on. I did it. It was stuck in narrator mode and the screen got locked and I couldn't even scroll the screen
up to enter my unlock code, AND THE BUTTON COMMAND TO TURN OFF NARRATOR MODE (hold vol up or down button AND press start) DID NOT WORK ! (I tried many times vol up & down). So I turned my phone off by holding down the power button, and when the "slide down
to turn off" screen came down, I double tapped to turn off, just as the narrator instructed, but every time I turned the phone back on, the narrator was still active, and I was still stuck helpless, on the lock screen in narrator mode. THEN, AFTER I TURNED
MY PHONE BACK OFF & ON ONCE AGAIN, I REALIZED ''THERE WAS A SPLIT SECOND BEFORE THE NARRATOR STARTED UP, AND THE SCREEN TOUCH WORKED, AND I COULD FLICK UP & ENTER MY UNLOCK CODE FAST'' before the narrator started up, and unlock my phone finally!!!!!!
and get back to the start screen. BUT my problems weren't over !
Still in narrator mode on my start screen, I could not scroll down (much like the others in this thread) and I was limited to only double tapping the app buttons at the top of my start screen, starting them narrator style. EVEN THOUGH I could tap on my settings
button that was luckily pinned at the top of my start screen and get to settings, I COULD NOT SCROLL DOWN TO EASE OF ACCESS CENTER, WITHIN SETTINGS, TO TURN OFF NARRATOR, BECAUSE SCROLL DOESN'T WORK IN NARRATOR MODE. I was very lucky for 2 days earlier, finally
upgrading to 8.1 which gave me Cortana. I actually learned, and used her to open the ease of access center to turn on these "narrator quick launch settings" that got me locked out in the first place : ) Anyway, I pressed the search button, and to my surprise,
the Cortana screen opened, but I had to tap and then double tap again on the microphone icon to get her to listen to me. Once listening, I told her to open the ease of access center, "and sure thing", she did ! From there I could tap then double tap on the
TURN NARRATOR ON/OFF SWITCH to turn the narrator off and....... FINALLY END MY NIGHTMARE
THAT WAS THE NARRATOR HAD ME LOCKED OUT & TAKEN MY PHONE HOSTAGE ALL (AND I MEAN ALL) DARN DAY ! Thank you Cortana !

 

Hi

Turning OFF Narrator.

Click Settings>Ease of Access>Which takes you to Narrator or Magnifier or High Contrast.

Click Narrator OFF and Also Click Start Narrator Automatically OFF (With the ON/OFF Sliders)

Turning Magnifier OFF.

Settings>Ease of use>Which takes you to Narrator or Magnifier or High Contrast.

Now this time you do it just a little bit different.

Click on Magnifier but this time Turn OFF Start Magnifier Automatically (First!)

Then go back up and Turn OFF Magnifier (Both of which are done with the ON/OFF Sliders)

At which point you will see the little Banner with the Magnifying Glass and all its magnification settings, on the Top Right Corner of which is an 'X' so Click the 'X' and Close it down.

Having done that, come out of that Menu altogether by clicking outside of that Menu.

In the Event that you can still see the Magnifying Glass on the Screen, then Click directly on it and it will disappear! until such time as you decide that you may want to use it at some future time.

But if you don't Turn it OFF in Settings, then it will be back to haunt you till you do!

Top Tip!

Instead of using the Magnifier: Hold down the Control Button (bottom left on the Keyboard) Then while the Control Button is being held down, Tap the Plus+ Button (top right next to the back button) and whatever you have on the Screen will just get 'Bigger and Bigger' Then do the same with Minus- Button (next to the Plus+ Button) and it will get Smaller again.

Also put the Settings Button (the one that looks like a Gog Wheel) on your Tool Bar at the Bottom of the Screen, then it will save you having to Scroll through all that Stuff to find it, as its one thing that you could be using a lot.